Reasons
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: When his sister had told him about the drama she had been watching, Houtarou had formed a basic image in his mind. But now, as he crossed the road, he never would have expected to see such a scene so terrifyingly clearly. Suddenly, an earsplitting screeching noise sounded from behind as a car rounded the corner.
1. Why?

**My second Hyouka story. Unlike my first one, this one is a lot more dramatic so you'll have to forgive me for that, and the fact that it's pretty rushed. Otherwise, enjoy!**

**A/N: _Italicized sentences are Houtarou's thoughts._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hyouka.**

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Reasons

Chapter 1. Why?

Pale, Winter morning sunlight filtered into Oreki Houtarou's room.

His alarm clock rang mercilessly as he begrudgingly took the effort to open his eyes, extend his arm, and turn it off. _That's enough energy exertion for one day._ He decided, allowing his arm to flop back down onto the bed. He closed his eyes again and tried to revert his mind back to the recesses of the dream he knew he had just been having. He did not fully remember it, but he knew it was somehow pleasant; perhaps he had been sleeping in his dream as well.

Dreaming about sleeping. The very rock bottom of energy exertion.

However, just before Houtarou could fall back into the comforting chasms of slumber, an annoyingly familiar voice rang out from the hallway.

"Hou~ta~rou~! Uppy, uppy!" His sister sang in that certain tone of voice that automatically put him on maximum defenses. _She's too energetic for mornings._ Houtarou was under the impression that if he just lay still and remain quiet, she would give up and go away, like a rabbit hiding from a hunter. "Houtarou? If you're not out here in 5 seconds, I'm coming in there and jumping on you~"

_Che. Good luck. The door's locked._

"Oh my the door seems to be unlocked~"

"What?!" Houtarou leapt out of his warm covers the second he heard the doorknob click. He stood flustered as he faced his elder sister, the mischievous smile spread across her cheeks seemed to drain the energy from him.

"That's a good boy. Breakfast is ready~"

"Aneki..." he grumbled somewhat threateningly before she turned and left him. Unable to do anything else since he was now fully out of bed, Houtarou sighed and prepared to face the all-too-bright outside world.

He deconstructed his bedhead that seemed to get more and more ridiculous with each passing morning, before washing up and putting on his school uniform. The entire process took about 10 minutes, and when he arrived downstairs, his warm toast and eggs had lost their appeal. _Oh well. I__t's the only fuel I'll get if I'm to spend energy today._

As he began eating, he contentedly noted the absence of his sister, but immediately began to grow suspicious. Slowly, he turned his head to glance behind him, but shockingly enough, she was not there, ready to pounce on him like a cougar. He was not about to ask aloud where she was, but before he could even wonder, he got his answer.

A dramatic, muffled sobbing was coming from the living room, accompanied by the distant sound of voices from the television. _Soap operas this early?_ He glanced at the clock and decided to give himself another 5 minutes before he should head out, but perhaps 3 would be better, if it meant being able to avoid her exaggerated weeping.

Unfortunately for him, his miscalculation was probably what almost made him late to school that day.

Within the moment it took for him to finish his toast, Tomoe had already dashed into the kitchen, blubbering like a child who had lost her favorite toy.

"Houtarouuu!" She wailed.

_Damn it._

"Whyy? Why are people so stupiiiid?" She whined.

"Wouldn't we all like to know."

"But it was so romantic as well! How can something so horrible be so romantic?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm gonna be late-"

"I mean he pushed her out of the road so she wouldn't be hit by the car and _he _got hit instead! Why _him_? He was my favorite! I swear if they kill him off I'll-"

"That's great Aneki, I've gotta go."

"No, seriously." She slammed her hand on the table, preventing him from rising. Houtarou groaned. "Why are people so obsessed with self-sacrifice? Do they want to be honored or something? You're smart, aren't you?" _That stung a bit_. "Why would he do something like that? I mean, I know it's a drama but it happens in real life, too, right?"

"Aneki, I really-"

"Oh, come on. You're always making up theories for your Classic Club friends, right? Well without your dear Aneki-san here, you'd never have even met some of them," _What a travesty that would have been_. "So why can't you give me a theory too?"

"Because I'm late for school."

"And you're going to be even laterer if you don't at least try."

_That's not a word, Aneki. And you __graduated high school. _As if able to read his mind, she gave an unscrupulous pout.

That was it. He was trapped. He knew from experience that there was no way he could escape unharmed after she made that face.

Heaving a huge, negatively-enthusiastic and unamused sigh, he began to think. Or, rather, he just used common sense to give her any kind of answer so that she would set him free.

"You said he pushed her out of the way, right?" He clarified. His sister nodded eagerly, tears still in her eyes. "Well that's just dumb. Sure, you get the other person out of the car's path, but you'd obviously replace them. Why not just pull them backward out of the way? I think that character was designed to die."

"Uwaah! My favorites always are!"

"Naturally." He agreed with her, simply for the sake of the already wasted time. "Maybe it was just momentum. But either way, I don't think this guy did it for any glory or anything. If he couldn't think to pull her back, then it was probably just reflex he ended up pushing her and getting hit himself."

"Hmm, really? Is there really nothing else to it? Maybe he really liked her or something!" She beamed. _No, that's just your fangirl speaking_.

"Were these characters married or in love?" He wondered.

"Nooo. Just friends."

"I rest my case. May I go now?"

"Well, since you've given me sufficient food for thought, then yes, Aneki shall allow it." She moved out of his way and he finally managed to stand. "Take your jacket. It might snow later." She advised.

Responding with an indifferent "mm", he slid into his off-white winter jacket, wrapped his tan scarf around his neck, grabbed his bag and unceremoniously left the house. He was running late now, thanks to his sister's tendencies to not care about other peoples' lives, so he was forced to quicken his pace against the frigid air.

Snow already blanketed the sidewalks and rooftops and Houtarou wished he was back in his room. He walked along the edge of the street where the black pavement was visible and he was less likely to get his shoes wet. He nearly slipped on black ice as he neared the school. _Um, isn't __this a bit too hazardous?_ He thought as he steadied himself. Continuing on, he somehow made it to class before the bell rang and let loose another sigh. _Why did I get out of bed this morning?_

* * *

Once classes had ended, Houtarou debated whether he should skip out on the club meeting and just go home and go back to sleep as soon as possible.

_Yosh! If I can just sneak past Satoshi, I can do it._

Gathering his bag, he slipped into his coat and scarf before briskly heading for the hallway.

"Hou-ta-rou!"

_Damn. It. All. _

There was something about the way Satoshi said his name...no. He was _definitely_ doing it on purpose, because he knew Houtarou's ears were unable to avoid the way in which his elder sister called him. It was his body's natural defense to respond immediately, by either answering, or more commonly, getting away from there as soon as physically possible.

But his defenses backfired on Houtarou, causing him to hesitate just a second too long, allowing Satoshi to jump up from behind him and swing his arm around his neck. "Shall we be off to the club room then?" The goofy smile of the Magician beamed almost as brightly as his temptress of a sister's as Houtarou blinked and pulled away a bit.

"It's supposed to snow this evening." Houtarou tried to slink out of his friend's grip. "I should-"

"It's _already_ snowing, Houtarou." Satoshi jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the snowflake-clustered window as proof. "At this point, wouldn't it be better to wait it out?"

"Or I could leave now before it gets worse."

"You're so pessimistic."

"You're too optimistic."

"Aw come on." Satoshi urged. "Can you trust this database, just once? I promise you, it'll stop within the hour."

"And this is based on...?"

"Intuition."

"Excuse me?"

"Alright, let's goooo!" Without allowing another second for Houtarou to object, Satoshi grabbed him by the scarf and tugged him along.

"O-Oy, Satoshi! Gack-that's danger...ous..." Houtarou's protests were cut short as he was literally forced to follow his so-called 'friend' to the club room.

As he followed, unenthusiastically, Satoshi of course made a grand entrance and threw the door open with a loud bang, shouting "We're here!"

The girls were already present and visibly jumped at the sudden noise. Eru recovered quickly, the shock on her face instantly replaced by delight. It was as if she was on a time limit to greet people within 5 seconds or else she would forget who she was.

"Good afternoon, Fukube-san, Oreki-san." She got up from her seat and bowed politely. _Is that really necessary?_

Nautrally, Mayaka was far less forgiving. "Geez, you guys nearly gave us heart attacks!" She glared accusingly at them, mainly Houtarou, for some reason or another.

"You look fine to me." He mumbled. She snorted and turned back to the table and her textbooks. Eru took her seat once more as the boys did likewise, Houtarou keeping his jacket on due to his strong dislike of the cold.

As the other three chattered aimlessly, Houtarou could not even bring himself to pull out a book and attempt to read. At almost the same time, the girls looked his way, a pair of amethyst and rose-quartz irises directed his way from directly and diagonally across from him as they asked,

"What's the matter with _you_?"

"Is something wrong, Oreki-san?"

He could not help but grimace at the painful difference between their methods of speech.

"It's Winter." He replied simply. "We should be hibernating right now. Or at least migrated to someplace warmer."

"...What are you, a bear?" Mayaka replied, unamused.

"I think they set quite the brilliant example to follow." He defended.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Satoshi surprisingly backed up his fellow male. "Today was just one of those morning where you didn't wanna get out of bed, huh?" He reminisced.

"Really?" Eru's high voice chimed in. "I felt quite awake this morning..."

_That's because you __have no human limitations when it comes to energy._

"Sometimes I wish I could be as active as you are, Chii-chan." Mayaka sighed.

_I could live without it, thanks very much_. Houtarou menatlly put in his unwanted opinion.

"Say, what are you studying, Chitanda-san?" Satoshi asked, leaning over to see her text books.

"The Law of Conservation of Energy."

Houtarou probably could have gone into nirvana from the complete bliss he felt upon hearing those words.

"The Law of Life." He added.

"Creepy..." Mayaka gave him a disgusted look to which he glared back at.

The trio, excluding Houtarou who merely tried to keep warm in his jacket, continued on with their daily conversations and study sessions for about another thirty minutes, until Satoshi spoke up,

"Ah, see? I told you it'd stop within an hour." He announced smugly as he directed their attention to the window. The snowfall had almost completely stopped as the gray evening moved in, however the roads and sidewalks were now covered in new layers.

"Good. I'm leaving then." Houtarou said bluntly as he picked up his bag and stretched his arms a bit, adjusting his scarf to cover his chin. As if on cue, the other three packed away their books and slipped their jackets on.

"Chii-chan your trench coat is so cute!" Mayaka pratically squealed.

_Looks like a normal trench coat to me._

"Thank you. Yours looks very warm." She replied modestly, tucking her pale pink scarf under her long, ebony hair.

"I'm pretty sure they give each other almost the same compliments every day." Houtarou muttered half to himself. Satoshi overheard and shrugged.

Once the four of them had packed up, they headed out together into the freezing outside air. Houtarou shuddered involuntarily. In contrast, Eru let out a rather loud "brr!" as she hugged her arms. Despite this action, she energetically announced, "It's so refreshing!"

"How could you think that?" Houtarou muttered, still finding it hard to believe in her never-ending positive energy.

"I've always appreciated the cold because it keeps me awake!" She smiled as if she would win some kind of award.

"Do you ever sleep?" Houtarou wondered.

"Do you not like the cold, Oreki-san?" She wondered innocently.

"How could you tell?"

"Hey, don't be mean." Mayaka butted in. "Chii-chan," she immediately directed her voice to the other girl, as if speaking to him any longer would be somehow poisonous. "What about your bike?"

"Eh?" Eru turned around before replying thoughtfully. "Ah. I didn't bring it today. When it snows like this, my father would rather I walk than risk skidding." Houtarou unconsciously nodded his head in agreement, not at all liking the thought of her crashing into something due to ice.

"Huh? Isn't that a really long way for you to walk by yourself, though?" Mayaka objected.

"I've done it enough times before." Eru smiled simply.

That was something Houtarou could not let go of. He felt a small flicker of anxiety at the thought of her walking by herself on such a cold evening. He bounced back into reality as he realized Mayaka was glaring at him, and Satoshi was smiling his trademark smile.

"What?" Houtarou asked defensively.

"Chii-chan! Oreki says he'll walk you home!"

"Hah?!" He could not believe the words that had just flown so carelessly out of this girl's mouth.

Eru stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at him, obviously taken aback at the sudden suggestion.

"Eh? Oh, n-no! I couldn't possibly put you through so much trouble, Oreki-san!" She threw her hands up in front of her chest, flustered.

_See? See? There's no need fo__r me to-_

"Come on, Chitanda-san, it'd be his honor."

_I'm going to kill you, Satoshi. _

His friend merely nudged him with his elbow and gave a wink. _Moron! What's that supposed to mean?_ Houtarou bit back the words as his eyes focused on Eru. Her hands were clasped tightly before her chest and her face was angled downward, a faint red blush on her cheeks, most likely from the cold.

"No, Oreki-san has to get home as well, and it's far too long a walk to my house and back to his. I really could not accept such an offer..." her voice had begun to trail off until she suddenly gasped. "I-I mean, unless it would inconvenience you for me not to!" She squeaked, letting a bit of her wealthy discourse show.

"Well, actually-" Satoshi began speaking but Houtarou roughly knocked the back of his head with his knuckles.

"Don't listen to these idiots." Was what he had been about to say, but Houtarou found the words dying on his tongue as he was captivated by two pools of shimmering amethyst. He could tell that she truly did not want to inconvenience him from the bottom of her heart. Yet there was something else hiding in her eyes, some emotion that seemed to say, 'but if it wouldn't inconvenience you, I wouldn't mind...'

Despite his annoyance at the troublesome, tiresome idea of walking her home, Houtarou opened his mouth to speak.

"Chitanda-"

"It's fine, Oreki-san. I know you don't like to do things if you don't have to. It's your motto after all." The perfect smile remained on her face as thought she was completely unbothered by walking home alone so late in the evening. However, even if she were unbothered by it, Houtarou could accept that he ever would be. He glanced at Satoshi who sheepishly mouthed 'you don't have anything else to do, right?'

Houtarou's eyes flashed back to the girl walking ahead of him, her slim figure seeming to struggle through the ankle deep snow with the weight of her schoolbag. Houtarou glared daggers at Satoshi and Mayaka as he passed them by, to which they both smiled delightedly back at. Without looking back at them or even saying goodbye, Houtarou caught up to Eru.

"Let's go." He mumbled.

"E-Eh?" She blinked up at his profile several times but he merely continued walking straight ahead. "W-Wait, Oreki-san! Ah, f-farewell Mayaka-san, Fukube-san! I'll see you tomorrow!" She hurriedly bowed before trotting back to Houtarou's side with a little more bounce in her step that usual.

Houtarou continued to grumble under his scarf as Mayaka and Satoshi waved them off from behind, no doubt poking fun at him all the while. Therefore, he was extremely thankful to Eru's unawareness of the situation the troublesome two they had left behind had created.

Unlike the mocking pair, Eru strode on beside him happily, as if everything was right in all the world. In fact, she seemed a bit too happy, to him. She kept quiet as she walked beside him on the snowy sidewalk, her breath billowing softly before her.

They continued on in silence for a few moments as Houtarou's anger died down and vanished altogether by simply stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye. When about five minutes had passed, he noticed her begin to lag behind and her easy breathing turned into a ragged panting she did her best to conceal, but to no avail.

"What's wrong?" He asked, stopping for a moment.

"N-Nothing..." she gasped. "I...I just think Oreki-san's legs are a bit longer than mine..." She confessed.

"Ah." Now that she mentioned it, he did noticed that she was clutching the strap of her bag tightly on her shoulder, her feet buried in show, whereas it only reached the side of his shoes. "Sorry."

"No! There's certainly no need for you to apologize!" She shook her head vigorously. "I'm the one who made you come along so-"

"No, you're not. I chose to come with you." _Well not really, but in the end __I guess I did._

"Eh? Ah..." His words seemed to silence her for some reason or another and she looked down again. "Okay."

Houtarou checked to make sure she had caught her breath efficiently before he started walking again, this time matching her pace evenly. They neared a crosswalk and waited for the light to turn green.

"Careful. There might be ice." He warned as they stepped onto the hard, frost-covered pavement. Eru nodded determinedly and he almost let slip a chuckle as she did so.

That morning, when his sister had told him about the drama she had been watching, Houtarou had formed a basic image in his mind.

But now, as he crossed the road, he never would have expected to see such a scene so terrifyingly clearly.

As they walked slowly across the frozen street, he was so focused on waiting for her to catch up that extra step that he had no idea what had happened until it was too late.

Suddenly, an earsplitting screeching noise sounded from behind as a car rounded the corner.

There was absolutely no time to react; or so he thought.

Without really thinking at all, Houtarou shoved Eru to the other side of the street with all his strength as the car tried to stop in time, but the tires skidded on the ice beneath. He squeezed his eyes shut and heard a loud thud before everything went completely numb. He was thrown across the street and landed in a pile of snow.

At least, that was how it _should_ have happened.

That was what he thought was _supposed_ to happen in his mind.

But it did not.

Something a million times worse happened instead.

He heard her scream his name beside him, and without even a second to blink, he felt her small body against his, pushing him forward with all of her might. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees in the snow, his bag landed several feet away.

He heard a dull thud and he froze entirely.

Right before him, he watched in horrified terror as the car skidded and crashed into her.

It was as if his mind was covered with a veil, telling him that none of this was actually real.

But it was.

Her body was tossed onto the sidewalk like a broken doll several yards away from him, the contents of her bag strewn haphazardly across the street.

Several onlookers shrieked, grabbed their phones, ran away. But none of that mattered.

Houtarou felt completely hollow as he forced himself to his feet. His legs were shaking so badly he could hardly move himself forward, but his eyes were fixed on her crumpled figure, lying on her side, her scarf and her hair pooling into the snow, along with something else.

As he neared her, he collapsed to his knees as he stared at her back; from beneath her head, a red liquid was staining the snow.

He lost all sense of time and touch and feeling as he blankly, numbly stared at her unmoving figure.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, to feel her warmth. He wanted to see her push herself up and smile up at him while hearing her say "I'm okay!" He wanted to see her open those beautiful amethyst eyes. But none of those things happened.

For a long moment, he could not even manage to speak. He felt something hot forming behind his eyes as he finally forced out a hoarse voice.

"Chitanda..." he croaked. "Oy..." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, expecting her to jump up and blush a bit, but she did not even flinch. He was not even sure if she was breathing. "Chitanda? Oy. This isn't funny..." without fully knowing what he was saying, Houtarou continued to let words spill from his mouth. He did not even notice when the tears began dripping from his eyes, staining her coat with tiny, dark circles.

He did not hear the ambulance arriving.

He did not hear the police officer when he asked him questions.

All he could do was watch as they took her away.

Chitanda.

Chitanda.

_Chitanda_.

His mouth would only produce one word.

And his mind would only think one question:

_Why?_

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**A/N: This is probably only going to be a 2-shot, so chapter 2 will be up next week! Again, I apologize it feels so rushed.**

**Please review!**


	2. Because

**Thank you for all the reviews from the last chapter! I do hope you enjoy this final chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hyouka.**

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Chapter 2. Because

"Houtarou." Tomoe said softly.

"I'm ready." He replied briskly. Without another word, he followed his sister outside into the cold morning. He got into the passenger's seat beside her as she started the car. Warmth blew at his face from the heater, but Houtarou still felt as cold as ice.

He remembered sitting in the same spot last night, only then, he had been an absolute mess. He tried not to recall the scenes from the previous night, but it was all he could see when he attempted to sleep last night, and still the images were fresh in his mind.

He had been pulled up by a police officer who asked him a few questions which Houtarou gave half-hearted responses to. The officer had been an older man who seemed to understand Houtarou's absent-minded state, and without having to request to do so, Houtarou had been seated in one of the police cars that followed Eru's ambulance to the hospital.

After being instructed to wait in the lounge, he sat in one of the chairs and waited about twenty minutes before he recognized Eru's parents enter. He had been so disgusted with himself at the time, he had not even been able to say he was sorry for getting their only daughter caught up in this accident. Houtarou had called Tomoe with a hoarse voice and she had arrived only moments afterward.

The four of them were admitted to see Eru another ten minutes later; apparently, Eru talked about Houtarou at home all the time, and her parents had no qualms with them coming along to see her. Upon seeing Eru lying on the hospital bed, her mother had understandably burst into tears as her husband spoke with the doctor. Tomoe covered her mouth and sighed while Houtarou stared as though it were an illusion. Houtarou hardly spoke a word the entire night after Tomoe had driven him back home, only to ask her to call and inform Mayaka and Satoshi.

"Houtarou. We're here." His sister's voice brought him back into reality as they pulled into the hospital's driveway. Eru's parents had stayed the entire night, left in the early morning, and would be back that evening. During that time, it was Houtarou, Mayaka, and Satoshi's duty to stay with Eru. "I'll be back to get you at 3." Tomoe reminded him. "Call me if anything happens."

"Yeah..." He nodded once, his eyes deathly hollow. "Thanks, Aneki." He closed the car door and trudged into the hospital. After showing his identification, he was led to Eru's room by a nurse.

"She'll probably be sleeping for a while yet. Please keep her company." She instructed as she opened the door. She left him alone as Houtarou stepped into the warm room that smelled of freshly picked flowers, despite the season.

There was a single white bed with four chairs lining one side, unmoved from last night's visitors. In the center of the slightly propped-up bed, the ruffled blankets revealed the sleeping figure of a girl dressed all in white hospital robes that were too big for her petite frame. Her long, ebony hair spiraled smoothly behind her shoulders; unlike the last time he had seen her, she now appeared much more tranquil.

An IV drip connected to a wire on her left wrist, and the machine beeped regularly as it tracked her heartbeat. A cast covered her right arm, bent at the elbow, and bandages covered the area of her forehead hidden beneath her bangs. Her lovely amethyst eyes were still closed, not having been opened once since the last time he spoken to her. A gash on her forehead from when she hit the ground had produced the blood he had witnessed staining the snow. Along with a broken right arm and two broken ribs, the impact of the collision had been more than sufficient enough to put her into unconsciousness.

When the doctors had spoken this diagnosis the night before, Houtarou had listened with only one ear. The only phrase his mind actually processed was "her life's not in any danger". That had been the only time he had allowed himself to feel even a sliver of relief.

He did not remove his scarf nor his jacket as he sat down in the chair closest to her. As he gazed at her sleeping face, he thought she looked pale, but aside from that, she somehow seemed carefree, as if she was brushing the accident off. _Idiot. Don't you know how much you've made us worry?_ He accused her in his thoughts. _I didn't sleep at all last night. I could hardly eat anything this morning. I don't want to talk to anyone or listen to anyone except…_ He stopped himself as he consciously recognized his thoughts.

Even as he suffered through this internal turmoil, she merely continued to sleep, making almost inaudible sounds that were unmistakably hers as she breathed, as if she were speaking to someone in a dream.

Houtarou bit his lip as he stared down at her. It had only been two minutes since he had sat down, but it had felt like a year. Somehow he could not shake the feeling that she would open her eyes any moment now, present him with that irresistibly sweet smile and softly call out his name. _What's it gonna take for that to happen? What do I have to do?_ He grabbed the ends of his bangs with his fingers and pulled through them in the nervous habit he got whenever he was in deep thought.

He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping when he opened them again he would be in the Geology room, reading a book as Eru babbled excitedly with Mayaka and Satoshi.

He thought back to the words his sister had spoken to him that morning on the drive over, the words he had thoughtlessly drowned out. _"Make sure you talk to her a lot. Just because she doesn't answer doesn't mean she's not listening. But whatever you do, make absolutely sure you don't leave her side until someone else is there as well. Imagine, waking up alone and confused in a strange hospital…"_

_Yeah. You're right. Thanks, Ankei_. He replied to her now that he had grasped the concept of what she had said before.

Opening his weary eyes, he almost expected to be looking into a pair of curious ones, but of course reality did not allow for such a thing.

He only had to start a conversation, but it was so difficult that he continued to grab at his bangs, frustrated for not knowing what to say.

"Y…Yo, Chitanda." He had almost forgotten what his voice sounded like, and he felt terribly awkward as his only response from her was quiet breathing. The obnoxious beeping sound irked him at first, but he soon told himself that it was merely reminding him she was probably listening. "Ibara and Satoshi should be here in a little while…and your parents are coming again around 2…" He struggled for words, but the person his conversation was directed toward waited patiently for him to continue.

"Ah… Y…Your parents were really upset last night, and I bet it's still eating away at them. You should probably wake up soon to put their minds at ease." He paused again, not wanting to say anything more for fear that his voice would crack, but the barrier trapping his words was now lifted as they poured out. "Your…Your mom kept saying…she loves you, a-and that she'd never forgive herself if that wasn't the last thing she said to you." _Of course, this was before the doctors told her you were going to __live._ "But anyway, you really should wake up soon. Everyone's worrying. You're going to miss a lot of schoolwork, too…"

He let his voice melt away into the sounds of the IV machine, which had not changed its pace at all since he had arrived, almost as if she was comatose. _No, that's not it. Why am I over-exaggerating things? Why the hell am I worrying so damn much?_ His frustration showed itself in his tightly clenched fists as he placed his hands on his knees. _This girl's going to have a lot of explaining to do…_

Thirty minutes passed by in silence as the sunlight broke through the blinds in the window, illuminating the room and filling it with warmth. Houtarou was warm enough in his attire, but he could not help but think the blankets on the bed looked a little thin, and only her legs were covered while her stomach and arms were exposed to the air.

He noticed that her breathing was awkward as his gaze came to rest on her stomach. Her broken ribs would take several weeks to heal, and he was not sure how much longer he could bear listening to her irregular breathing. He forced his eyes back to her face, still turned slightly away from him on the propped-up pillow. A lock of her hair had looped halfway around her ear, and he tentatively reached forward.

Houtarou hesitated, unsure if he should touch her for fear of breaking her. "Dammit." He cursed under his scarf. "How much longer do you intend to make me wait? I want you…no…I _need _you to wake up, Chitanda Eru. Isn't that reason enough?" His voice took on a pleading tone as his fingertips brushed carefully against her cheek.

However, before he could fix the troublesome lock of hair, Eru stirred at his touch and he immediately pulled back, thinking he had hurt her. Thankfully, that appeared not to be the case, and he watched in bewilderment as her long eyelashes twitched. Houtarou could hardly believe what he was seeing as her eyes slowly fluttered open, like tattered butterfly's wings, until a shimmer of amethyst was revealed.

Houtarou sat in frozen silence as she lifted her head slowly, only enough to turned and look in his direction. Her irises were dull from sleep, but there was an unmistakable shimmer that put him at ease, an almost maternal emotion that relaxed him immensely.

For a few seconds, he simply gazed at her, immersed in her perpetually shining eyes, until a foreboding sensation surfaced within him. But the feeling was short-lived as her thin lips parted and a whispered greeting met his ears.

"Good morning…Oreki-san…" Her voice was muffled with fatigue, and her breath hitched slightly in her throat, but it was a beautiful sound nonetheless. His fears of her having amnesia and being unable to recognize him instantly faded away alongside the rest of his anxiety as she spoke his name. Her previously pale cheeks had regained a bit of color, and her eyes seemed a bit watery as she gazed into his.

Houtarou was at a complete loss for how to react; his throat felt dry and his mouth hung open slightly.

At last, the tiniest grin broke out across his face as a surge of emotion threatened to sweep over him. He quickly brushed his arm against his face to regain his composure before he finally managed to calm himself.

"Geez…" he mumbled. _This princess…making everyone worry and then waking up as if nothing happened…_

Evidently, she was eager to make his thoughts reality as she looked at him with a puzzled gaze.

"Oreki-san…are you all right?" Her timid voice nearly made him scoff.

"Am _I-?!_" He stopped himself from the outburst on the tip of his tongue as alarm flashed in her eyes. Houtarou rapidly lowered his voice into a sigh. "Why am I surprised that you just asked me that?" he muttered. "I should have known you'd do something like this…" He cut off abruptly as he realized something. _How did she know it was morning? _Deducing the only possibility, he asked, "Were you…listening the entire time?"

"Well…mm…" she grunted with effort as she tried to explain herself. "It was more like, I could hear what Oreki-san was saying…and I really wanted to answer, but I just couldn't for some reason…" she paused for a moment to return to her original smile. "But yes. I heard everything Oreki-san said to me." A new emotion arose in her eyes, but he did not let himself decipher it and looked away quickly. _This isn't the time to be asking such questions._ He had several that he felt like shouting out at her, such as "what in the world were you thinking" and "why would you ever think to do something like that", but for now he stuck with the basics.

"How…are you feeling?" He avoided her eyes as he asked.

"Eh? Ah, well…" she trailed off as she glanced down at herself, observing her casted arm for the first time with widened eyes. "My head feels quite heavy, and my…my right arm feels numb…and so does my stomach…and my legs…" With each new word, her voice began to tremble more and more until it was on the peak of hysteria. "O-Oreki-san… I…I can't really feel anything…" She turned her panicked gaze on him, as if silently asking him what she should do.

Houtarou swallowed as he tried to think of what to tell her.

"C…Calm down. I'm sure you're just numb from sleep." He reasoned.

Her confidence faltered as she thought about trying to move some part of her body. But slowly, she put strength into her left arm connected to the IV drip, and sighed with relief when the feeling came back to her. Houtarou too let out a breath he did not know he had been holding until then. She carefully bent her knees as the blood began to flow properly again, prickling her skin uncomfortably.

"Wait, Chitanda-" Houtarou was too late to warn her as she shifted her weight onto her right side.

Instantly, a searing pain pierced her abdomen and she gasped loudly. She hunched over and her left hand reached to her side, to try and put pressure on the aching, but Houtarou quickly stopped her by gently locking his fingers around her hand. She looked at him with one eye squeezed shut and an expression of agony he had never seen before on her face.

"Ah…hah…Oreki-san…what…" she panted heavily, her hand trembling in his as she tried to resist the urge to touch her injured side. He was vaguely aware of the sped-up beeping of the IV as the strain on her body affected her.

"It's okay." He soothed, trying to make his voice sound as level as possible. "Just breathe." His grip on her hand did not slacken until she finally steadied her breath and her tensed shoulders had loosened again. "I'm sorry." He slowly let go of her hand as the pain subsided from her face. "I should have told you right away so something like this wouldn't happen. You broke your right arm as well as two ribs on your right side, and you have a minor head injury, though it's just a gash."

"My…" she experimentally lifted her left hand to her forehead and felt the bandage for the first time. "Oh. I see." She then brought her hand back to her lap and pulled the covers up more. "Ah, Oreki-san? Where are my parents?" She asked suddenly.

"Ah, right! I should probably tell someone you're awake so they can call your parents." He was about to stand up but halted when a knock came on the door. "Come in." He called.

The door slid open to reveal Mayaka and Satoshi, accompanied by a nurse. The nurse blinked several times, obviously very surprised to see her patient already awake.

"Chii-chan!" Mayaka sounded flustered and on the brink of tears as she ran into the room, followed a bit more slowly by Satoshi.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise!" The nurse commented. "We assumed you wouldn't be awake until this evening or even tomorrow morning. Is there anything you need, Chitanda-san?"

"Ah!" Eru's manners instantly set in as she straightened her posture and directed her attention at the nurse. "Thank you very much for taking such good care of me." She said respectfully as she bowed her head as much as she could.

"Now there's no need for that." The nurse smiled as she walked over to the bed. The rest of the Classics Club stood out of her way as she removed the IV wire from Eru's wrist. The intrusive beeping that monitored her heartbeat was also silenced and Eru thanked the nurse repeatedly as she left the room to call Eru's parents. When the four students were alone at last, Mayaka burst out.

"Chii-chan! I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried sick all night! No one elaborated on the accident so I didn't know if you were okay!" Tears were brimming in her eyes and she clutched Eru's left hand in both of hers.

_Actually, my sister _did _tell you her condition wasn't critical_. Houtarou muttered internally, but he kept the words back.

"Yo." Satoshi greeted him as the girls exchanged words. "Long night?" He concluded, noticing the circles beneath his friend's eyes.

"Too long." Houtarou confessed, too exhausted to deny. "I'm just glad she's okay."

"We all are." Satoshi agreed before he raised his voice for the girls to hear. "But that's our Chitanda-san, all right! Waking up an entire day earlier than anticipated."

_Yeah, seriously._ Houtarou agreed. _I guess all that energy came in handy for once. _

"Well, ever since I was young, I've woken up early simply because I hated the feeling of wasting the day." She smiled.

"Complete opposite of Houtarou." Mayaka grunted, receiving a glare. "But you even woke yourself up out of unconsciousness just for that reason?"

_Yeah, seriously. Are you a saint or something?_

"It appears so..." Eru seemed a bit embarrassed being the topic of conversation for so long, and so she switched the subject. "Ah! All of you skipped school today just to come see me?" She realized, sounding flustered. Houtarou thought he would not be surprised if she tried to get up and insist to go get their schoolwork and today's notes for them right now.

"It's fine." Satoshi spoke up to reassure her. "The teachers understand, and after hearing about this, I doubt our classes will be in much of a mood to learn or teach anything today. Plus, it's Friday, so we can come visit you the next two days as well without missing anything."

_Good job, Satoshi._ Houtarou thought with a nod toward his friend as Eru visibly relaxed.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble and making you all miss lessons."

"That's not it!"

"Don't say that."

"It's not your fault."

Three voices chorused up to rebut her comment.

The three guests sat in the chairs beside Eru's bed and Houtarou called his sister to explain the news. The four of them then continued to chatter aimlessly for a while. _It feels just like a club meeting_. Houtarou mused.

Before they had realized, noon had passed, and before long, two more hours were gone as well.

"Well, we've gotta get going. My dad's here." Satoshi announced regrettably.

"Do we?" Mayaka whined. "Fine. He's my ride, so I have to leave, too."

"What about you?" Satoshi asked the other boy.

"I'm here till 3, or at least until her parents show up." Houtarou informed him.

"Well that's good." Satoshi grinned. "At least Chitanda-san won't have to be alone."

_It's starting to scare me how often I hear my sister in your words._ Houtarou shuddered internally.

Mayaka had a disgusted look on her face that said 'why would anyone want Oreki as company, poor Chii-chan' but by some miraculous, merciful entity, the words never left her mouth. The boys stood back as Mayaka said goodbye to Eru, gently wrapping one arm around her shoulders in a small hug.

"I'll visit again tomorrow. And any time I'm free!" Mayaka promised.

"Please don't inconvenience yourself for me." Eru requested. "But thank you, Mayaka-san." She happily returned the hug with her left arm before Mayaka stood back.

"Take care, Chitanda-san." Satoshi called over his shoulder as the couple exited her room, leaving Houtarou alone with her once more. Houtarou bid them farewell before taking his seat again, and noticed Eru shifting a bit uncomfortably in her bed. She definitely looked like she wanted to say something.

"Oy, what is it?" Houtarou asked after a minute of fidgeting had gotten them nowhere.

"It's just... Oreki-san, before...did you...?" The rest of her sentence was far too quiet for him to hear, but her lips seemed to say 'say my first name?' Just as he was deciding whether or not that was actually what she said, she rapidly shook her head back and forth. "N-N-Never mind!"

He gratefully let the subject drop. "Oy, are you hot? You're face looks kinda red." He murmured.

"Eh? Ah, n-no I'm fine. In fact, a bit the opposite..." The latter half of her sentence was hidden under her breath, but Houtarou just barely caught it.

He scrutinized her for a moment and noticed her shoulders shivering very lightly. As he had noticed earlier, her blankets were quite thin and only her legs were covered; the hospital robe also seemed to be made of flimsy material.

Houtarou pondered for a moment, wondering whether he should find a nurse, but he only had a limited amount of time left to spend with her today, and deep down he honestly did not want to leave her alone any longer than he had to. _Plus, it'd probably take too long for them to turn the heat on anyway..._

Twisting his head from side to side as he debated going through with the idea in his head, he finally caved and stood up. Eru watched in silent curiosity as he unraveled the scarf from around his neck.

"Here." He held it out to her, only to realize she could not exactly put it on herself.

"Eh? Oh, no! That's perfectly all right, Oreki-san. You don't have to do that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm really not that cold. Really." She gave him a sincere smile, eyes shining with gratitude for his offer.

"Well it's too much effort to put it back on now." Houtarou retorted. "I'll conserve more energy now by just giving it to you." _Is this some cheesy manga plotline?_ He smacked himself mentally as the unrealistic words escaped his mouth.

Eru pursed her lips for a few seconds, her eyes looking him over to make absolutely certain he would not be negatively affected by giving her his scarf. At long last, she finally let slip a quiet voice.

"If...If you're...certain..."

A feeling of accomplishment washed over Houtarou as he heard her consent, and he reached forward and draped the scarf behind her neck. She flinched visibly as he made contact with her, but Houtarou pretended he did not notice as he continued to gently fold the material around her shoulders. He brought it across her chest and flattened it so that it would cover as much of her exposed collarbones as possible.

The process seemed to take much longer than the several seconds it really took, considering Houtarou was far too aware of her warm breath tickling the back of his hand. The lock of hair that he had intended to fix earlier that morning was still looped around her ear, and he carefully tucked it back into place before he stepped away from her and sat down.

"Better?"

"Ah...yes. Yes, t-thank you very much, Oreki-san." She instantly went back into her 'wealthy-daughter' mode as she thanked him. Houtarou gave a single nod in return and crossed his arms. Eru gazed at him, obviously aware that something was bothering him; it was plain on his face that he had something he wanted to say. "Oreki-san? Is something troubling you?" She finally asked in a timid voice.

_Yes. You._

Instead of saying the blunt thoughts in his mind, he reworded them to sound a bit more civilized.

"I just don't understand it, even after everything Aneki told me about that drama..." He seemed to be muttering to himself and Eru tilted her head slightly to one side, vexed that she could not decipher his dilemma and try to help him.

"I'm sorry. I don't follow." She blinked.

Houtarou clammed up once more as he went through his conversation with his sister from the morning before. _Why did she push me out of the way? Was it just reflex? I highly doubt she has any ulterior motives._ Looking up at her furrowed eyebrows and expression about to burst with questions, he immediately scratched his last thought. _No. It's actually impossible._

"Oreki-san?" She sounded almost scared now as the boy recalled more of his conversation with Tomoe. _She said those characters were just friends._ He tugged at his bangs once before making a fist, frustrated with this scenario he could not wrap his mind around.

"Oreki-san-"

"Why?!" He blurted out, much louder than he intended to. Eru gasped and squeezed her eyes shut reflexively, as if he had struck her. Houtarou immediately recoiled, regretting his inability to control his emotions and bit his lip.

"Wh...Oreki-san...I-I'm sorry. I don't understand..." she slowly reopened her eyes, appearing to be on the verge of tears. Houtarou felt so miserable at that moment, he reached forward and took her left hand in his without hesitation.

"Chitanda, I'm sorry." He lowered his gaze, ashamed of his harshness. But of course, she quickly reverted back to her usual self, as if she did not want to make him worry for surprising her.

"Not at all. I was just being jumpy." The smile she gave was apologetic and Houtarou unconsciously squeezed her hand harder. "But I am still confused. What do you mean, Oreki-san?" Her fingers curled slightly into his palm as she spoke.

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "What I meant was...why did you do it?" He muttered, still not making eye contact.

She blinked thoughtfully at him as she pondered for a moment, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Well, honestly..." she paused, still trying to word things correctly.

_What was it? Instinct? Coincidence? ...Love?_ Houtarou listed the possibilities in his mind; he knew if she confessed and it had been because of the final one, he would have no idea how to react. He reverted his attention back to her as she fumbled for the right words.

"I think it was simply because..." She squeezed his hand tighter, causing him to look up, directly into her gorgeous amethyst irises. "Because... I didn't want to see you get hurt, Oreki-san."

Her answer silenced him for a long moment, but she did not get flustered over it, nor did she take it back, she merely continued to gaze at him warmly.

_I see..._ He thought. _It's the most obvious answer, isn't it? Some people are just like that by nature and don't like seeing others in pain, so they do anything possible to prevent it. She would have done the same thing, had it been Ibara or Satoshi walking next to her. That's just the kind of person Chitanda Eru is. Selfless. Reckless. Warm..._

Houtarou let his thoughts fade off as he moved his fingers until they were entwined with hers. Her cheeks had taken on a pink blush as she continued to gaze into his eyes. "Oreki-san, thank you so very much for coming to see me today. It made me truly happy. Seeing Mayaka-san and Fukube-san was also very pleasant." She added on quickly and Houtarou felt a small prickle of something he could not quite name before she went on. "But for some reason, I was very happy to wake up to find you beside me." Her smile melted the last bit of frost in his heart, and Houtarou felt fairly surprised when he had felt his body leaning forward slightly on its own accord before his mind could suppress the urge.

Just then, a knock came on the door and the same nurse from previously entered; Houtarou and Eru immediately pulled away from one another, though their fingers were still interlocked.

"Chitanda Eru-san? Your parents have just arrived to see you and will be here shortly." The woman announced as she walked in and placed a small bag at the foot of the bed- inside was Eru's freshly cleaned school uniform.

"Ah, thank you very much." Eru bowed her head as the nurse exited the room once more.

Houtarou took the announcement as a signal to get going. "My sister will be here soon anyway." He murmured, getting to his feet and gently letting her hand slip away from his. "You'll be in here for a while yet, so those guys and I will stop by every day to give you notes and assignments. Ibara will probably show up on weekends too."

"Yes. I'll be counting on you!" She beamed. "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Oreki-san!"

It was then that he realized there was still something crucial he needed to say.

"No. Thank _you_ for saving my life." He murmured. Upon hearing this phrase come from him, she was at a loss for words. "But please, from now on, don't be so reckless."

Before she could reply, Houtarou copied Mayaka's motion from earlier and gingerly wrapped his left arm around Eru's shoulders. He heard her little gasp of surprise, but for some reason could not pull himself away as quickly as he had initially intended to. He was even more surprised when he felt her arm timidly reach up around his shoulders and pull him down toward her.

For a long moment, a comfortable silence engulfed the hospital room as they savored each other's warmth.

"Don't be so reckless." He murmured almost inaudibly. "You need to cherish yourself more...Eru." The last word was so quiet he was sure she had not heard, but her embrace around his shoulders only pulled him closer.

"Thank you, Oreki-san..." she breathed softly. There was such a warmth flooding over her at that moment, she counted her heartbeats, wishing it would last forever.

At last, he pulled away from her and she brought her arm back to her side.

"Get better soon." He mumbled, shoving his hands in his coat pockets as he turned away.

"Ah, wait, Oreki-san, your scarf." She reminded him.

"It's fine. Keep it for now. I'm coming back tomorrow." He replied simply.

"...Okay." She smiled.

As she watched him leave the room, she thought to herself, _I wonder why...my heart's beating so fast at the thought of Oreki-san coming back to see me again tomorrow..._

As he closed the door behind him, Houtarou wondered, _Why...did I suddenly want to hug her so badly?_

They were each sure of one thing; they had their reasons.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! **

**Please review!**


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